The largest Wawa in the country is in Pa.; here’s what it looks like inside

The largest Wawa in the country is set to open in Philadelphia on Dec. 14, 2018.

Located at 6th and Chestnut streets, it’s an impressive 11,500 square feet with large arch windows and gilded doors. It boasts two murals and a living greenery wall.

It has also been in the works for awhile, according to Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens.

“Every new store is sort of like a new baby, it’s its own unique thing that takes so long to bring together,” Gheysens told PennLive. “It’s this special thing and they’re all unique and different. This one might be like having triplets, it’s so big.”

Wawa is going all out to celebrate its new baby, to continue metaphor. The store officially opens at 8 a.m. on Dec. 14 and the first 200 customers through the door will receive giveaways. But festivities really get going underway a little later.

At 8:45 a.m. the Wawa Values Day Parade will begin down 6th St. There’ll be a grand opening ceremony at 9 a.m. with reading of a Wawa declaration by a Thomas Jefferson re-enactor and a Hoagies for Heroes hoagie building competition. Free coffee will also be given out on that day and for the rest of the weekend.

Celebrations continue through Sunday with a presentation of “Hamilton -- The Early Years” by the National Constitution Center on Dec. 15 and storytelling by Historic Philadelphia on Dec. 16.

Not keen to wait until the official grand opening, PennLive attended a media preview event on Dec. 12 to clue you in on what awaits customers when Wawa officially opens its doors.

First off, there’s more food and drinks available than at other Wawas. Wawa has expanded its bakery for this store, meaning you can indulge in pastries, cupcakes, cakes and French bread.

There are more Wawa Reserve coffee options too. Made from specialty grade coffee beans, most Wawas only have one of these available, but there are four varieties at the 6th and Chestnut Wawa. It also has various coffees and teas on tap, including a nitro cold brew, nitro green tea and kombucha.

If these items do well, it could mean other stores start rocking their own kombucha on tap in the future.

“We want to get [these products] to live customers and see how their reactions are and if it’ll be something that goes beyond this store,” Gheysens said.

The 6th and Chestnut Wawa will be a bit of a tester store for awhile too, giving the Wawa team a chance to gauge reaction to new food and beverage products.

One item that is only a limited time affair, though, is the Molten Lava Liberty Latte. It’s a latte made with signature hot chocolate and topped with red, white and blue sprinkles. It’s only available at the one Wawa location and will only be on the menu for three months after the opening.

When it comes to the space, the new Wawa has seating in the form of couches and cafe seats near the front of the store. There’s also free Wifi.

The two “Philly Firsts” murals, created by Keir Johnston and the late Willis Humphrey, preside over the coffee section and the cold beverages coolers. The murals include depictions of iconic buildings and people in Philadelphia’s history and was made possible through the work of Mural Arts Philadelphia. The murals also serve as the design for the store’s own Wawa coffee cups.

Check out the gallery at the top of this article to take a virtual tour of the new location.

This is the fifth store Wawa has opened in Center City Philadelphia in 2018. Wawa has continued an aggressive growth plan and will have opened 53 stores by the end of the year. More are slated for 2019, with Gheysens telling PennLive the brand has plans to open more than 60 during that year.